New FCC Comment System Debuts

Easier. Faster. Better. That’s what the FCC promises from its new Electronic Comment Filing System, which debuts this morning. The old ECFS system will not be available once the new one is operational, but all files will be accessible in the new system.

All documents in the previous system will be available in the new one and the agency says saved links, like bookmarks or favorites, should still work.

The agency hopes to improve performance and resiliency with the new system; the original ECFS was designed 19 years ago. Back then it just replicated the process of filing comments on paper.

The commission typically used to receive between 10 to 100 comments per proceeding and now receives many more, according to Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Alison Kutler and FCC Chief Information Officer Dr. David Bray recently in a blog.

The modernized version of ECFS will automatically adjust to heavy periods of use and have a public Application Programming Interface, so outside groups can more easily file comments in bulk.